Now at that time the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
Genesis 11:1-4 (NKJV)
Approximately 340 years after Noah’s flood, give or take a few decades (Sibley), the decendants of Noah disobeyed the Lord by residing in one area and not populating the earth (Genesis 1:9). They solidified their disobedience and united as one people to build a tower unto the heavens. Not only that, but some scholars claim that this tower, based on its construction, was designed to be waterproof! This showed their distrust of God when He promised that He would never flood the earth again, and it was a way to reach God in their own strength.
Built by Nimrod, The Tower of Babel represented a world empire that was in rebellion against Almighty God. ‘In order to realize his ambition and to make his dreams come true, two features and factors were essiential: First, he needed a center of unity, a sort of headquarters, as it were. …a capitol, a place to assemble, a place to look to. …Secondly, he needed a rallying point, not just geographical, but phychological, that which gives motive — a spark, an inspiration, a song, a battle cry… There had to be some impelling and compelling motivation. There had to be a momument. “Let us make us” is defiance and rebellion against God. “Let us make us a name” reveals an overweening ambition.’ (Magee,53)
But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
Genesis 11:5-9 (NKJV)
The building of a permanent waterproof tower was an emphatic statement of self will against a sovereign God. Many bad things would have happened if the people did not seperate: starvation and disease being the most obvious. Human history shows us that most astrological and occult practices have a history back to Babel, thus perpetuating the insistant rebelion against a Holy Creator.
Today, our “Tower of Babel” could take on many forms like giants of industry or finance. It could be something physical like Amazon’s proposed new headquarters in Virginia called, The Helix: a 350 ft tall structure that spirals up to heaven which can accomodate 13,000 employees with room to spare. But I believe it is something even greater, something that connects us all, the pinicle of thought, knowledge, and reason — the internet.
God confusing the language of the people and ceasing the construction of the tower was actually His grace and mercy shown to the people. He knows what is best for us, and that we are to acknowledge Him as our: God, Creator, LORD, and — Savior.
McGee, J. Vernon. Genesis Through Deuteronomy. vol. 1, Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 1983. 6 vols.
Sibley, Andrew. Creation.com. Journal of Creation 31 (1) Papers. https://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j31_1/J31_1_80-87.pdf
Pens & Wrenches 